West Bank · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
570 Israeli Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Courtyards Ahead of Yom Kippur
About 570 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards under police protection before Yom Kippur. They performed Jewish rituals in the mosque courtyards during the incursions.
31 outlets, one story, no spin found.
10 of 11 outlets skipped it: netanyahu visited tunnels under Al-Aqsa/Wall during the period..
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Al-Aqsa storming, Yom Kippur
Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem and performed Jewish prayers in the courtyard, with the weekend’s incursions described as part of a build-up to Yom Kippur and next month’s Israeli election.
“about 570 settlers had stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by 10am local time on Sunday”
Al Jazeera reported that about 570 settlers had stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by 10am local time on Sunday, and said the Palestinian Jerusalem governorate described the visitors performing Talmudic rituals and “epic prostrations” to mark Yom Kippur.
The same Al Jazeera report said Hamas condemned the storming of “the tunnels and excavations beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the al-Buraq Wall,” calling it “a blatant attack on the identity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its status, and a provocation to the feelings of our Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations.”
Al Jazeera also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a labyrinth of tunnels below occupied East Jerusalem on Saturday and released videos and photographs on his official Instagram account documenting his participation in Jewish “Selichot” prayers at the Western Wall, known as the al-Buraq Wall to Muslims.
Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and condemnation
Al Jazeera said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and others “again stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for Yom Kippur” on Thursday, while it described Netanyahu’s Saturday visit as taking place under the protection of security forces and alongside thousands of settlers.
In a separate report, WAFA said Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque this Sunday evening under the protection of Israeli occupation forces and performed Talmudic rituals in the eastern area of the site.
WAFA also reported that the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs expressed “categorical condemnation and denunciation” of Ben-Gvir’s storming, and said the repeated incursions and provocative actions “constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the holiest Islamic site.”
Al Jazeera quoted Ahmed al-Hila, a political analyst specialising in Middle East affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict, saying Netanyahu was using religious symbolism “to attempt to gather the largest possible number of votes to serve as an electoral lever for him.”
Security, arrests, and what’s at stake
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported that settlers began early this Sunday to raid the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli forces, and said Jewish Talmudic rituals were performed in the mosque’s courtyards and near the Gate of Mercy.
“more than 30 people arrested in the village of al-Mazri”
In the same Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed account, the Palestinian Red Crescent said its crews in Salfit dealt with two injuries from a settler attack, including “one with a knife in the thigh and another head injury,” and said the injured were transported to hospital.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed also said occupation forces conducted arrests and raids in the West Bank, with more than 30 people arrested in the village of al-Mazri, and it added that northern Jordan Valley schooling was disrupted due to checkpoint closures.
The report framed the broader stakes around the mosque’s status and identity, saying Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s storming of the tunnels and excavations beneath Al-Aqsa and the al-Buraq Wall, and rejected Israel’s ongoing excavations under the holy site.